Is that Sweets? Howard McGhee? Is it a youngster? Roy? I mean, Roy Eldridge. This is a modern crowd we’re speaking to; we don’t want them to misunderstand. You kind of stumped me. And then the drummer… Play it again. The trumpet player’s velocity was amazing, especially the way he played those dynamics and his capacity for strength. Amazing. He’s probably a real good section cat, too, along with being a good improviser. But somehow to me he sounds like he could have been a big influence, but also he’s been influenced by a lot of people. I mean, all of those people I named, I think. There was a lot of originality, because I think at the time everybody was pretty much original. It could even have been late ’40s, for that matter, but I think the ’50s. I hear a little Diz, I heard a little Sweets, I hear a little Fats, I hear a little Howard McGhee. But at this point, I’m guessing. Do I have to give it stars? 2 stars. [AFTER] That was Thad Jones? What year? 2 stars only because he was quoting from so many sources. Not to say Thad wasn’t original. But he seemed to go from… I mean, there was some Fats in there, there was some Howard McGhee, there was some Roy Eldridge. He was all over the map. That’s probably what made him such a good arranger that he knew the terrain. I probably put my foot in my mouth from saying he’s not original. But I’d prefer to hear Thad in the late ’70s.

It sounds like Don Cherry. Huh, that’s strange. It sounds like Don Cherry, it sounds like Miles Davis, it sounds like Ron Miles a little bit. It’s very nice music. But the first few notes were very deceiving. Immediately I thought of Don. Then I thought of Miles. Miles Davis. I’ve never heard this before. Whoever it is, is all over Miles. It’s probably Miles, some Miles I’ve never heard. It sounds like the record could be around the “Siesta” thing. I think the music is way up in Gil territory, too, for that matter, but I don’t know where it is or what period is from. In a way, it sounds like a lot of stuff me and J.A. Deane and Wayne Horwitz used to do, too. I’d give it 10 stars. Even though I hear more and more similarities between Don and Miles, it’s interesting the way Miles uses history to reevaluate his present. Because you hear his quotes, you hear things he’s going around, you hear even maybe “Stella By Starlight,” you hear things that maybe preceded this recording by 20 years in there. But the way they’re fragmented are very interesting. And the more it goes on, the more you realize it is Miles, by the way he says things. But I don’t know this recording.

[IMMEDIATELY] Tommy Turrentine. That’s probably Tommy Turrentine at the height of his game — on record. Oh, Jackie. Is the drummer Pete LaRoca? No? Oh, that’s Billy Higgins. Tommy is a motherfucker. That is Tommy. I know a lot of motherfuckers slept on Tommy, but I didn’t! [LAUGHS] I shouldn’t say Tommy makes me think of him, but there’s two cats I really like right in here — Richard Williams and Tommy. They just kill. They took care of some territory that a lot of people just didn’t. Actually, Roy Hargrove reminds me a lot sometimes of Tommy and Richard Williams — a tiny bit. Is the pianist Cedar? Herbie? Wynton Kelly? Sonny Clark! Oh, shit. Goddammit. I take my bebop very seriously. I love that. Especially in this period, I really like Jackie’s stuff, and I really like Tommy Turrentine. What was that, “Fickle Sonance”? Great track. 5 stars.

Sun Ra? Is that some of the Delmark stuff? [As in AACM?] As in AACM. [No.] I’m starting to hear what the tune is. [Kenny Dorham once recorded this.] It’s strange. The guitar player is starting to sound more familiar to me than anybody else. But I can’t say I know who it is. The name of the tune is on the tip of my tongue. Is it “I Can’t Get Started”? It’s in that vicinity. I don’t know who this is, but let’s go on to the next one. I thought it was Sun Ra. I think it’s a concept. [What do you think of the concept?] It’s all right. It still reminds me of Sun Ra. It reminds me of Fletcher Henderson, too. It also reminds me of Gil. [FINAL SECTION] Is this from the same record? Can I hear something else? Is the bassist Martin Aaltena? Whoever they are, they have good company. So let’s go on to the next. I don’t have to rate it as high or low. Let’s put it like this. They were in good company. I don’t have to give it stars. I’ve been reading the Blindfold Test for thirty years! I think throughout the process, until this record, I was very clear at least in stating my opinions about these. I stated my opinion about this in the beginning, so I stated the kind of company I feel they’re in. Now, if I have to give them stars, I’ll give them stars. I give them stars. Stars. Stars. Stars. [AFTER] Franz Koglmann. The trumpet player. Good company.

Is that a Mingus song? Oh, yes. “Ellington’s Sound of Love.” It’s nice. Can we go on to the next? I think they’re giving a very nice rendition of this classic. I think it’s nice. That’s all. It’s very nice. It’s nice. It’s very nice. [Can you be a little more substantive than that?] Than what? [Than “it’s very nice.] It’s very nice. I think the expression was way over the top. It was a modern rendition of something that was a modern rendition of something. I mean, it was Mingus’ expression of Duke, and it’s their expression of Mingus. [Do you think they did justice to Mingus?] Oh yeah. I think they did justice to Mingus. I mean,they didn’t do him any harm. Let’s put it like that. It was nice. [Did the trumpet player catch your attention, for better or for worse?] Neither, for better or for worse. I certainly don’t mean this in a negative way, but I’d like to hear somebody like Lonnie Hillyer play that. But I thought it was good. I think it was a little bit over the top in terms of expression. It seemed to try too much to make it sound like sound-like, like “I can play in that groove” or “I can do that.” It was cool. I can give it a star. 1 star.

The drummer sounds like Philip Wilson. Is that Leo Smith? Oh, is that Jack? [LAUGHS] Oh, God! That’s Anthony and Malachi. Well, it took me a minute to find out that was Leo, but the way he was putting that composition together with Tony, the way they were expressing it, it became clear it was Leo. Actually compositionally more than… I mean, it came together at the same time compositionally and his sound. The way he started to bring the piano into his lines, when he was playing. Like, how the piano will go away from the line and then come back into the line was interesting. And then I could hear it was Leo. This is only an observation, but he still sounds like Philip to me! [LAUGHS] That’s by no means an insult. I heard Philip immediately. And I’m still hearing it, is what I’m saying. They played in Lisbon last year. I didn’t hear the performance, but I saw them there, and I went to a rehearsal there. It’s a band of wonderful musicians. A star for each person in the band. 4 stars.

Monk. Thelonious Monk is the composer. Is this “We See”? It should make me want to dance. When I think Monk, I want to dance. I think it’s a nice rendition, let’s put it that way. I don’t want to guess here, because I could guess wrong. I thought Tom Harrell at first. But it’s not. I can’t guess who it is. Or the guitar player. He sounds out of Jim Hall somehow. But I don’t know. 3 stars. [AFTER] Oh, I should have known that was Ron Miles. Actually, Ron is one of the few trumpet players I’ve heard in the last few years that I like a lot. He’s got something I like. And I like Frisell a lot.

That sounded like Philly Joe at first. Is it Philly Joe? It’s not Billy again. The alto player’s got that hard Jackie thing again — that edge. Almost like between Jackie and James Spaulding. He’s got some kind of angular thing, like Braxton. Did you play the head? Did you start this tune at the beginning? [Yes.] This is strange, because the rhythm section almost sounds dated, like you could put them in one area of history, and then the horn players come on with this other, more modern thing. I mean, the way the piano player is comping, the way the drummer is playing the time. [trumpet solo] Wow! Sounds like K.D. now. I’m on the warm side? [tenor solo] When was this recorded? [Early ’60s.] Sam Rivers? John Gilmore? Wow, that’s familiar like a motherfucker! I mean, that’s FAMILIAR. It’s not Billy? Dennis Charles? My God, I’m lost somewhere. The pianist sounds like Cecil now. [Cedar?] No. Cecil Taylor. I mean, only… It’s very interesting, not only because I’m trying to think of who it is, but it’s a convolution of a lot of things to me. That’s not Sonny Clark? Can you play it again? I don’t know who the alto player is at all. Can you run the trumpet player one more time? Strange, because it’s got this Kenny Dorham thing, and it’s got some Bobby Bradford stuff in there… That’s classic! Listen, can we go on to something else and come back to this?

This appealed to me because…how can I say… It’s very attractive. It’s a simple line. It just happens to be 9 bars. They could have made it 12 if they wanted to, and they could have made it 8 if they wanted to, and they could have made it 10 if they wanted to. But it was very, very attractive, I think. I didn’t feel I was hearing it from the beginning… That’s why I said, “Did you play it from the top?” It begins like it’s a continuation of something. When you started it, and it began, it felt like a continuation. It never felt like it was the beginning to me. Which was appealing. But I’d like to come back to it. There’s something there that I’d like to get my hands on.

The trumpet player reminds me of Wilbur Hardin. But then there’s a couple of other players right in that period who had… The other cat’s surname is Young, but I can’t think of his surname. The tune has challenging edge because it is 9 bars or so. To turn around. So it’s not Wilbur Hardin. It’s not Idris Sulieman. 10 stars. I’m sure I know everybody on this. But I just can’t put them within my context right now. First tell me who the piano player was. Duke Pearson? Was that his tune? Was it Donald Byrd? Wait a minute. Shit. I would have got Joe Henderson on a good day. I want to say Woody Shaw, but no… Actually, at this point I can’t identify. Johnny Coles! Oh, God. I love Johnny Coles, but I certainly wasn’t thinking in his direction. I used to have this record. Of course.

You’re out for blood today, Ted! Right? I’m out for blood. Is that recent? [Yes.] It’s really great writing, I think. Good writing and an interesting stream of thought in terms of what they’ve written. Is that Marty Ehrlich on clarinet? Definitely good writing. I mean, they work that one motif to death, which is cool, that’s what you do. It’s nice. With this kind of band, it would be great to hear… They didn’t get a lot of chances to play through these charts. And it would be great to hear this music after it had been played for a while, like for a year, by the same people. It just sounds over-read to me. Really over-read. It’s trying to feel relaxed, but I don’t hear that. Often, music, when it’s not read enough, it sounds too contrived. Not to say this sounds contrived. It’s pretty music. It’s wonderful music.

Is that Bill Dixon? Bill’s interesting, because he gives you the impression that he’s wrapped up in every note, that he’s emotionally involved in every note, or every sound he makes, every phrase. His flugelhorn work is really intimate, I think. Highly personal. Highly emotional. I don’t know who the drummer is. Certainly somehow out of Milford. But I don’t know really know who it could be. Oh, Tony Oxley? It’s nice. 3 stars. It’s a trio? Two basses?

I really don’t like this music. The piano player keeps doing something that irritates me. [trumpet solo] Is it Dave Douglas? Is it Wynton? [When do think this was recorded?] In the ’80s or early ’90s. [It was recorded in ’62. Does that change your assessment?] Yes, of course it changes things, because it makes it a predecessor to all this stuff that’s being played now like then. I mean, it’s not Sam Rivers on piano. [No. But I think the pianist is a Schillinger guy.] I’ve heard so much of the bad examples of this lately that my view of this… That it’s in the early ’60s certainly changes my view. I’d have to listen to it in a new light now. Could you play the trumpet player’s solo again? Is that Bill again? This was recorded in ’62? Okay, who is it? [Don Ellis] Oh, of course! Yeah, I can dig that. He certainly was one of the predecessors to all this shit that’s going on now that sounds like that. I’ll tell you probably why I thought it was so recent. That is an excellent recording for 1962. So again, yes, sure, the quality not only of the music, but the recording. [Any idea who the composer was?] Should I know by the tune? [Not necessarily. But you’ll feel bad if you don’t get him.] George Russell? It sounds like George Russell. But when you said the ’60s I was really confused, because I was trying to figure out who had control over that kind of recording in 1962. Where was it recorded, and who recorded it? [Ray Fowler.] Really. Wasn’t he recording a lot of singers back then? 4 stars. 4 stars for a lot of reasons. Like I said, that’s been done over and over, especially in the ’80s and ’90s — that kind of arrangement, that kind of playing. I must admit, I was dumbfounded, because I was listening a lot to the sound of the recording, and the sound of the recording made me think of ’80s-’90s, and so I started to think in that area. When you told me it was recorded in the ’60s, I couldn’t hear who was playing, because I was trying to figure out who made recordings that good in the ’60s, not in terms of the quality of the music but the quality of the recording. I think this is interesting in itself. I don’t think there’s too many records on your shelf where you can go to 1962 and find any record recorded as well as that record is recorded, unless it was done by a singer. I like Don Ellis. I liked him better with his electric recordings.

Is this the beginning of the song? Oh, they’re Italian! It’s Enrico Rava. Enrico’s covered a lot of ground better than a lot of people in terms of the trumpet thing. He’s a motherfucker. Motherfucker. I’ve heard him kick butts on many, many nights in Paris in the ’70s and in Italy. He’ll step on the gas, jack. He’s a bad cat. What can I say? Is this the Instabile? It’s interesting. They seem to have covered a lot of ground that is non-European. It’s just their Italian thing that covers an area of jazz that is kind of clear. This is their fresco, and it’s clearly theirs. Really clearly theirs. So it’s Enrico Rava with the Instabile. It’s cool. I think you hear Instabile one or two times, and you see the kind of… I’m not saying that’s all. But they made a statement. And certainly Enrico; Enrico has, too. 5 stars for Instabile and 5 for Enrico. The thing is, they’re Italian, and that’s Enrico, and this is their fresco.

Fats Navarro. I was trying to figure out who the piano player was first, and then the trumpet player. Around this time, I’d think K.D. and Miles, in that range. I was waiting for the trumpet player to go up a little higher to understand a little better where he was, and even some areas where Miles sounded a little like Dizzy, I thought it could be… I also thought Fats, but I was also thinking Dizzy and Fats would have gone up in terms of register by then. But Fats. Fats was such an articulate motherfucker. Who was the piano player? Tadd Dameron! 25 stars for everybody.